Visiting Seoul in Winter

Pyeongchang 2018 Accommodation

Most hotels are now booked out in Pyeongchang, Gangneung, Donghae, and Wonju; those that are still available are at steeply inflated prices. Sokcho still has some availability, and Seoul has plenty.

There’s still loads of availability on Airbnb, but also at jacked up prices near the venues. For those still looking, Yangpyeong (between Seoul & Wonju) could be a good base with 15 trains per day each way.

Pyeongchang 2018 Transportation

Ok, so I know a lot of people out there have been finding the lack of information very frustrating, but we do now finally have a clear picture of the transportation situation. The new KTX line to Pyeongchang & Gangneung starts service on December 22nd, and you can see the full schedule here (pages 5 & 6 for the Olympic dates, and page 9 for the Paralympic dates); the Korail site has also been updated to show the new stations, so you can now search & book online here (reservations can be made 30 days in advance, extended to 60 days for the Olympics – recommended to do so ASAP if you want to have a seat!)

Last month Korail announced a Pyeongchang Rail Pass for the Olympics; this is key for anyone staying in Seoul and making repeated round trips by KTX to the venues. You can buy this pass until January 31st, details here

66 comments on “Pyeongchang Olympics December 2017 Update”

I would like to ask, I’m planning to go to Yongpyong Resort this December between 21st or 23rd Dec, but is it the gondola ride to the Dragon Peak is close because of the Olympics event? I’m not going for skiing activities, just want to hang around there for a day trip only.

Hi Lisa, yes I’m afraid the gondola is off-limits for the entire season, so you won’t be able to go up. If you’re making a day trip to Yongpyong from Seoul, do it on the 22nd or 23rd, not the 21st, because the new bullet train starts on the 22nd.

Also, if you just want to visit an Olympic venue and take a gondola ride to the top, you can do that at Phoenix Park instead of Yongpyong as they’re open in December including their gondola. It isn’t as high as Yongpyong, but it still has nice views.

I want to visit a place with nice view. and possibly visit an Olympic venue. Which resort do u recommend? Can I still visit Alpensia? If yes, which ktx should i drop off. If no, which one do u recommend and also which ktx should I drop off too. And do they provide taxi or bus at the ktx station? lets say pyeongchang station.

Hi John, to visit Alpensia (or Yongpyong) you need to get off the KTX at Jinbu Station. If you get off at Pyeongchang Station, you can visit Phoenix Park.

I don’t recommend visiting Yongpyong for the purpose of seeing Olympics stuff, as the actual Olympic runs are out of sight from the base area and you can’t go up the gondola.

If you visit Alpensia you’ll be able to see the ski jump tower from a distance, and possibly the bobsleigh track depending how tight the security is.

If you visit Phoenix Park (but only if you go by January 10th), from the base area you can clearly see the Olympic moguls & aerials section; you’d also be able to ride the gondola up to the top of the mountain to check out the mountain views.

It depends what you’re more interested in seeing, but probably I’d recommend Phoenix Park. However if you go after Jan 10th Phoenix Park will be closed off, so head to Alpensia.

The resorts have all said they’ll have shuttle buses from the KTX stations, though there haven’t been any schedules announced yet.

Hi John, actually it’s the other way around – Alpensia is closed for the season, whereas Yongpyong is open (but with some sections closed, including the gondola). Phoenix Park is open until January 10th

Hi again John, no, I’m afraid you can’t go up to the Dragon Peak at Yongpyong in January. You can go up the gondola at Phoenix Park, but only until January 10th. So, for the best views, you should go to Phoenix Park

Yes, they’ll be running a free resort shuttle bus from the station; I’ve actually just had a message from them confirming this, and they said the schedule will be announced next week. I’ll reply to you again here when that happens. If you take a taxi I estimate the price would be around 20000 Korean won.

When you arrive at Phoenix Park you’ll get dropped off in front of the large main building at the base; the ticket windows are at the front of that building, very easy to find.

Thanks for the helpful website. I’m looking at booking a relatively last minute trip to the Winter Olympics.

If I am mainly interested in events in the Mountain Cluster (Snowboarding and Bobsleigh) but might got to one or two events in Gangneung (Ice Hockey) Would it be better to stay in Seoul or Gangneung? It looks like I can find accommodation in both.

I’m not clear on what will be the best way to get from Gangneung to Phoenix Snowpark (or the other mountain resorts), is there a direct bus from Gangneung, or will taking the KTX train then a shuttle bus be better?

Hi Luke, staying in Gangneung is definitely better than Seoul in terms of travel logistics. On the other hand staying in Seoul is better for nightlife, shopping, general sightseeing etc

To get from Gangneung to the resorts, yes you’d take the KTX to Jinbu Station (1 stop) for Alpensia/Yongpyong/Jeongseon or to Pyeongchang Station (2 stops) for Phoenix Park. From the stations they’ll have shuttle buses taking ticket holders direct to the event venues.

Thanks for this great website. Very useful information for us. We are family of one of the Dutch shorttrack speedskaters that qualified for the winterolympics. We will be visiting all shorttrack events at the coastal cluster. We are still looking for accommodation and information on the public transport during the Olympics. Do you know were the transport hubs in Gangneung will be situated ? Finding a place to stay close to a transport hub or a busstop of the olympic buses would be very convenient. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

First of all, congratulations on your daughter’s qualification! I just looked her up on google – best of luck to her for the Games. Also, thanks for the kind comment, it’s always good to hear the site’s helpful.

Regarding the accommodation/transportation situation, yes (as per here) the transport hubs are the new Gangneung KTX (bullet train) station, and Gangneung intercity bus terminal. (There are also a couple more further out for those driving their own vehicles to Gangneung, but I don’t think those are of use to you)

Access to the event venues is strictly by shuttle bus from these points, as you’re probably already aware. There isn’t much accommodation left available in Gangneung, and prices are at inflated rates; you can search Gangneung hotels here, and also here’s a link to a search centred specifically on Gangneung intercity bus terminal. Unfortunately I can’t make you a similar link for the KTX station – it’s so brand new that it isn’t yet showing on most search engines etc. You can quite easily spot it on Google Maps though (it’s 강릉역 in Korean), and cross-reference that with the hotel locations.

If it proves difficult to find anything good in Gangneung, you could also consider staying along the coast in Sokcho or Donghae; see my page here for those and other options.

Thanks for your quick reply. I located the KTX station and also the busstation. We might have found a place to stay in the area close to the Sandpine golfclub, which is north of the venues. This place is also close to the Holland Heineken House which will be located at Lakai Sandpine close to the beach. Do you think it is possible to rent a bike and bike to the venues from there? Is it known already were the entrance to the venues with the security checks will be located? Do they provide facilities for bikes at the entrance?

Hi again Peter, sorry, I’m afraid I really don’t know where the security entrances will be set up, or if there’ll be any bike facilities. I’m not privy to any inside info from the organisers, I only know what they say on their website… it sounds to me like you can only approach the venues on the shuttle buses, but I don’t know for sure.

What I am sure of, though, is that I personally would not want to ride a bike in that part of Korea at that time of year! You’d be dealing with icy roads and temperatures potentially well below zero (it’s minus 12 in Seoul tonight)

Sorry I don’t have better answers, but anyway I think if you’ve found suitable looking accommodation it’s probably best to go ahead and book while it’s still available, then work the transportation out as more info becomes available. And being near the Holland House should be handy!

Hi Simon
It’s Frankie. On the second taught, I am checking the daily shuttle bus time table from Alpensia resort to Pyeongchang resort for the ski.
My understanding is the shuttle bus travels from Alpensia to Pyeongchang resort back and forth hourly from 0800 to the is 2300 right? I can’t find the shuttle bus time table.
Thanks again

I’m afraid I still don’t have any good information on shuttles between Yongpyong & Alpensia. There’s nothing on their sites yet, and from my email contacts with them it seems they still aren’t sure what they’re doing! Things like this tend to happen very last-minute in Korea… the KTX starts on the 22nd though, so perhaps we can presume that their shuttle buses will also start then. The schedules may well not be announced until just a few days before.

I’ll email them again for an update, and will reply again here if I learn anything useful.

I’m interested in what you say about hourly buses though – where did you read that?

Hi Simon
I actually made an international call up to Holiday Inn Alpensia resort and talked to them. That’s what she told me shuttle buses running hourly from 8am till the last one at 11pm from Yongpyong Resort back to Alpensia. And she finally said it’s on their website but I can’t find anything that’s why I asked you.
Anyway I really appreciate your feedback. Many many thanks.. All the best to you..

Oh wow, you called them? I guess it must be accurate then… but I also really can’t find anything on their website about it, even in Korean. I’ve sent them a message to try and get written confirmation, and then I’ll update my pages here. Thanks for the information!

Hi again Frankie – I’ve had written confirmation from Alpensia that they’re operating an hourly shuttle bus to/from Yongpyong, and this is now shown on their site here (scroll down for English).

However, they also told me they’re not running a shuttle bus to/from Jinbu Station this season, so if you go by train you have to take the Yongpyong shuttle from Jinbu Station to Yongpyong first, then the shuttle to Alpensia from there.

Noted again Simon,
I’m already here at Alpensia.
Just wanted to update you also on the hourly running shuttle buses from Alpensia to/from Yongpyong which you have posted on the link.
Many Thanks again Simon.
Really really appreciate it.

Hi Simon
I want to share with you my experience of getting to Alpensia. My flight was delayed and I missed the last bus to Alpensia at 1930.
Finally what I did was catch a limousine bus from airport to Geungnam. Managed to catch the last bus at 2130 so arrived Geungnam at around 0030. Then take a cab to Alpensia. Coach was 30,000 won and the taxi was 50,000 won. Lucky I don’t have to wait until the next morning.
In fact, I was carrying a big oversized snowboard bag, and normal taxi can’t fit my oversized bag. I got the tourist information centre at airport to help get me the big taxi and the driver was picking me on Geungnam bus terminus.
But just wanted to tell, there are couples of taxis waiting for people if you guys don’t have any oversized bag. Just get the last bus to Geungnam..
Just wanted to share my lucky experience.
Thanks again Simon

Hi Frankie, thanks for the update – sounds like a hectic journey, glad you made it! Hope you’re enjoying the snow today (I’m stuck in front of my computer in Seoul), and hope you have a great stay at Alpensia.

Hello Simon
We are a family of 4 (2 kids) planning a last minute trip to Korea next week! The kids have never seen snow, this will be their 1st time. Just wanted to check with you before booking anything – The Alpensia Resort is okay to book if we are just going there to sled and play with snow, right? We do not plan to do any skiing. But may require snowboots, cloth rental etc. Will it be possible to hire those?
Appreciate your suggestion.

Hello Manisha, that’s right, if you come to Korea next week you’ll be able to book at Alpensia & do sledding there. And yes, they have rental gear available. You can view & book their accommodation with these links: the Intercontinental Alpensia, and Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Suites (the hotels pay me commission from these links, at no cost to you. If you’ve found my website useful, I’d really appreciate your support by clicking these links! Many thanks)

It’s going to snow at Alpensia tonight and then be very cold for a few days, so hopefully the snow should be looking nice for you next week.

I’m planning on a half day trip from Seoul to Pyeongchang just to enjoy the snow scenery and to play the snow. I noticed the KTX pass for foreigners is either 5 or 7 days which is not suitable for my plan. Do you know whether I can still buy the two way ticket for just one day trip or half day trip and enjoy the new KTX train? We are thinking of departing from Seoul station instead of travelling to Incheon.

Also any idea when we arrive at Pyeongchang station, how far do we need to walk to enjoy the snowy scenery and play with the snow? And most important we don’t need to pay for lift or entrance fee.

Hi Sabrina, yes absolutely you can just buy a 2-way ticket for the KTX, and that’s what you should do – there’s really no need to buy an expensive pass for a day trip!

You can’t walk to the ski resorts from the KTX stations, you need to take the shuttle bus or a taxi. If you get off at Pyeongchang Station, you take a shuttle bus to Phoenix Park; or you can get off at Dunnae Station, and take the shuttle bus to Welli Hilli Park (the shuttle buses are free). At both of those resorts you can walk onto the snow near the base buildings without needing to buy lift tickets.

Hi Simon
Your website here is really great. Have you been able to find information anywhere on the Olympic venue shuttle buses (from KTX stations to event locations) in terms of timetables and journey times? Thanks

Hi Jemma, thanks for the nice comment! I’m afraid I’m not aware of any concrete timetables for the shuttles – so far as I understand it, there’ll just be a fleet of shuttles looping regularly between stations and venues. When choosing your KTX time, I think it’s a good idea to allow plenty of time between arrival at the station and the start of the event, to allow for navigating the station, the possibility of having to line up & wait for the shuttle, and the possibility of heavy traffic. In terms of journey times for the shuttles, again it could really depend on traffic, but the approximate road distances are: 8km Pyeongchang KTX – Phoenix Park, 18km (mostly highway) Jinbu KTX – Yongpyong/Alpensia, 20km Jinbu KTX – Jeongseon… so in clear traffic, I’d estimate something like 15 mins, 20 mins, 30+ mins respectively, but could well take longer. Hope this helps!

Sabrina again. I saw Pyeongchang trout festival is open till end of Feb. Would you by any chance been to that place?

I would like go to Jinbu to have a look at the fun plaze. Appreciate if you could advise any free shuttle bus from Pyeongchang station to Jinbu, how far we need to walk once we are at Jinbu area and do we need to pay lift fee?

There’s no shuttle from Pyeongchang Station to Jinbu, but Jinbu has its own KTX Station. So, don’t get off the KTX at Pyeongchang Station!

Take the KTX to Jinbu Station, and then you can visit the trout festival and Yongpyong ski resort from there. From Jinbu Station you need to take a shuttle bus or taxi to Yongpyong; you only need to pay the lift fee if you want to use the lifts. If you just want to walk around & play on the snow, you can do that without a ticket.

Hi Simon! Thank you very much for all the information! It is very helpful for anyone planning to be in Pyeongchang and around this winter. I will be travelling to Pyeongchang in the end of January for several days to see my friend who works there. And I think of taking my snowboard abnd try the opened yongpyong slopes. I was able to do almost all my research thanks to your posts/comments!

Hi just wondering if anyone has driven or planning to drive from Seoul to Pyeongchang. How long would it take considering the traffic is hell. My sis and I are visiting next year to go watch the hockey game and contemplating to take KTX or rent a car. We thought about booking hotel in Seoul and KTX back and forth since accommodation is ridiculous near Pyeongchang and some website say it will take less than hour then 1hr 15min then 1hr 24min.

Hi Rex, yes you’d be able to do that by bus, but I certainly wouldn’t – it’s far preferable to use the new bullet train from Pyeongchang Station to Jinbu Station, which takes 8 minutes and costs 8400 won. Between Phoenix Park & Pyeongchang Station and Yongpyong & Jinbu Station you can take free resort shuttle buses or a local taxi.

If you do the whole thing by taxi, yes I think 50000 won sounds about right, and I’m pretty sure you’d be able to get a driver to do it (though probably best to call the taxi company to arrange it).

It might seem like the train SHOULD be the best option, but I fear that it really is not.

We are attending Snowboarding (Ladies Slopestyle Final) on Feb 12 at 10:00 to 11:45.

Our objective is to catch the last half of the Alpine Skiing (Ladies Grand Slalom) which runs 10:15 to 15:35. These were substantially less expensive tickets, so if we get there by 13:30 or 14:00 we will consider it a worthwhile purchase

There is a schedule available for the Phoenix Snow Park.

In the middle of the day, the buses depart PSP only every 2 hours. the only relevant bus time is 12:30 arriving Pyeonchang at 12:55

… which is 28 minutes TOO LATE to catch the relevant train headed in the direction of Jinbu. In fact, there is no next train headed eastward until 14:46!

While it might be possible to take a taxi BACKWARDS to Manjong (Wonju) Station… this would make no sense.

So, I am thinking that just getting a taxi from PSP makes the most sense.

Thinking even MORE OUTSIDE THE BOX… I have read that one can hire a taxi by the hour – – say, for six hours – – I will not be ruling that out since Feb 12 is our first day, and apparently we have to go to some place to collect tickets before getting on the shuttle bus to PSP. I realize that a taxi cannot compete with the high speed train to get us to Pyeomgchamng – – but once we arrive there – – it might not be a bad idea for me and my wife to split up… you go collect the tickets, while I go work on finding a taxi driver who wants to drive us to PSP, wait until the event is done and then drive us to Yongpyong.

And I have just learned that we are potentially facing the same disaster as every foreigner to go use our EXPENSIVE figure skating tickets on Feb 14 because of Seollal and the mess connected with that. There is talk on the facebook page (I see that you are responding there? or maybe only on the TripAdvisor page?) of someone (or some people?) hiring a 40 passenger bus for about $1350 USD to use for one day. Sounds like it COULD be a good plan B – – but will it need to leave Seoul at 5 in the morning.

Ok, right so you’re actually trying to get from event to event? In that case, please ignore the advice in my previous reply to you – I didn’t realise the time constraints you were working with!

Definitely don’t attempt it by public bus, you wouldn’t make it. In theory, I see two options – 1. taxi/shuttle to Pyeongchang Station, KTX to Jinbu Station, taxi/shuttle to Yongpyong. 2. Direct taxi from Phoenix Park to Yongpyong.

The latter option would seem to be fastest, however I worry about one potential major problem with it, which is that the security arrangements around Phoenix Park may make it impossible to even take a taxi from there i.e. I suspect that you may have no choice other than to first take an Olympic shuttle bus from the event to Pyeongchang Station, then proceed from there.

On the other hand, it may even be possible to go all the way from Phoenix to Yongpyong by Olympic shuttle… it seems there may be shuttles from Phoenix direct to Jinbu, where you could change to the shuttle for Yongpyong. But this is (like so much of the info) not at all clear.

As for the train option, a couple of things – I think you’ve looked at the wrong timetable, it sounds like you were looking at page 3, but you should be looking at page 5 (link). So there’s no 12:27 or 14:46. Rather, there’s a 12:15 (too tight I reckon) and a 12:50 (should be able to make it). The 12:50 gets there at 13:02, then you’d take the shuttle up to the event so eta 13:30 to 14:00. The other thing is, you mentioned the shuttle at 12:30, which means you’re looking at this – be careful, that is NOT the Olympic shuttle schedule. That’s the Phoenix Park resort shuttle for regular skiers and guests, and it isn’t operating during the Olympics. There’s no online schedule for the Olympic shuttles – I think they’re just going to be shuttling back & forth constantly between venue & station.

So… with all that said, my advice is this: if you have Pyeongchang Passes, book the 12:50, then after the event finishes take the Olympic shuttle to the station and hopefully you make the train, then shuttle from Jinbu to Yongpyong. If you miss the train, plans B and C are taxi or Olympic shuttle all the way (if there is one). If you don’t have Pyeongchang Passes, maybe book that train anyway as it’s only 8 dollars.

I think if you get that train reserved that’s a viable plan A, then be prepared to be flexible. (Also if you’re leaving Phoenix and you see a shuttle there that’ll go direct to Jinbu Station (or even all the way to Yongpyong), check how long it’ll take and make the call on whether to jump on and ditch your train reservations)

As for the Seollal thing – aye, what a mess that’s shaping up to be! Yes I’ve been responding on TA, and I’ve just joined the FB group – I wasn’t aware of it so thanks for mentioning it.

Hope this helps! And yes I’d be up for meeting, I’ll be staying in Seoul throughout and just making a couple of day trips over – are you staying in Seoul or Pyeongchang/Gangneung?

We are staying in Seoul and bought the 5 day pass on korail. Is there anyplace I can find the train schedule? Can you tell us where to get off for the opening ceremony event? We are also going to the slopestyle snowboarding event and the big air snowboarding. Where should we plan to get off the train to attend those events? We are coming from the United States and we are in our mid 70’s, somewhat limited by age so we would feel a whole heck of a lot better if we knew that we could actually get to these events before we flew 17 hours. Thank you for your help.

Hi Elaine, I have a detailed page on the train here, and you can see the schedule here (scroll down for the Olympic dates).

The opening ceremony and the big air are both at Alpensia, near Jinbu Station. The slopestyle snowboarding’s at Phoenix Park, near Pyeongchang Staton. Shuttle buses will be provided to take ticket holders from the stations to the event venues. When booking your trains, I recommend allowing plenty of extra time for travel between venues & stations, as things could be pretty busy and I’m not sure how efficient the shuttle buses will be.

Your snowboarding events finish early so you have loads of time to get back; however the opening ceremony will finish around 22:00 I believe, so I strongly suggest that you book on to the last train (22:54) from Jinbu Station to Sangbong Station (arriving 0:05). Sangbong is located in Seoul in the northeastern part of the city, and you’ll have to take a cab from there to get downtown which I’d estimate would be around 40 dollars or so. Not ideal, but I wouldn’t risk trying for an earlier train after the ceremony.

Great stuff you’ve got up on your site, a wonderful resource for snow fun in Korea and the Olympics. We are coming over for the last few days of the games and managed to get tickets online. We opted for the print at home method and all seems to be good so far with a 7 day ‘cancellation’ period before being able to print them off. However, not living in Korea I wasn’t sure if I would be booted to an ATR site… Have you heard anything about those not living in Korea sercuring tickets online through the official site?

Hello Simon
We are a family of 8 (4 kids) planning a trip to Korea on 6th february until 12rd february! The kids and us have never seen snow, this will be our 1st time. Just wanted to check with you before go there – We are planning to go to Yongpyong, is okay to go there if we are just going there to see the view and play with snow, right? We do not plan to do any skiing.

Yes, sure that’s absolutely fine, you can stay at Yongpyong without skiing. If you stay at Dragon Valley Hotel or one of the condos (see here) it’s just a few minutes’ walk to get on to the snow, and you don’t need to pay for any entry fees or tickets.

However, your dates are during the Olympics so I think it’s going to be very hard for you to book accommodation at Yongpyong Resort. If you can’t book Yongpyong, you might want to try High1 instead.

Hi Simon,
great site, thank you. As you predicted we have no guarantee of getting to games events as we need to be there on 15th and 16th but even wityh Pyeonchang passes we cant book trains or guarantee getting there from Seoul it all seems so hit and miss. I am trying to see if there is any resolution but quite extraordinary that we cant ensure we get to the events having travevelled half way around the world!

Remember to also check Cheongnyangni Station & Sangbong Station, both of which are located in Seoul. Many trains leave/arrive from there rather than Seoul Station, and they both still have plenty of availability. You can access them by subway, or by taxi if you arrive back too late for the subway – Cheongnyangni is more convenient than Sangbong.

Hi, can I ask a question that what the meaning of “Phoenix Park … but most of Mont Blanc (the main hill) open bar the boardercross and halfpipe.” is? I will take my children there during the Olympic, can they learn and ski for the first time there? Thanks a lot!

Thank you very much! I have a reservation beside Phoenix Park. But I think I can change the place I stay. My family will attend the opening ceremony on 9th, figure skating and short track speed skating on 10th and snowboard in Phoenix on 11th. Appreciate!

Hi Simon, What is the easiest way to get to Gangneung Station and the Gangneung Olympic Park from the Olympic Sliding Centre and Jinbu Station ? Will there be a shuttle we can catch or do we have to book the KTX train in advance?
Thank you!

Hi Simon, greatly appreciate your website and quick responses. We live down in Pyeongtaek and have tickets for 2 x olympic events on the same day (21FEB). We are staying at a place around Gangneung (Seongsan-Myeon) from 20-22FEB. We intend to utilize the shuttle bus (and taxi if need be) to travel to/from the venues and around the olympic area. My question is about driving from Pyeongtaek to Gangneung – is it a feasible option? Everything I have seen is that vehicle traffic in/around the venues but I haven’t been able to locate what that “bubble” around the venues is. Anything you may have found about driving or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’m not sure exactly which “bubble” you’ve seen, but I’m guessing it might be the odd/even licence plate zone around Gangneung. They’re reducing road traffic by only allowing odd & even licence plates on the roads on alternating days, punishable by fines for violations. So if you do drive, be careful about whether your route would go through that zone, and if so to do it on the right day for your licence number!